


Along the Way

by Destril



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Accidental Baby Acquisition, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bounty Hunters, Bounty Hunting Culture, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, ManDadlorian, Mandalorians - Freeform, Space Adventures as an accidental parent, Space Politics in a Post War Galaxy, Spoilers for eps 1-2
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-18
Updated: 2020-03-03
Packaged: 2021-02-08 12:34:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21476092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Destril/pseuds/Destril
Summary: He has his ship, he has his target, this should be an easy decision, but for some reason its not.
Relationships: The Mandalorian & The Asset, Various Temp OC
Comments: 63
Kudos: 481





	1. What Now?

**Author's Note:**

> I should be doing 9000 other things that isn't this, but I love how much there is left unsaid for this story right now and couldn't resist.

The controls rumbled gently under his gloves as the ship broke the atmosphere, shaking in that familiar way that told him she was indeed back in one piece. The autopilot could have handled the short maneuver, but he felt the innate need to do it himself this time. 

Maybe he simply missed the feeling of the ship under his hands, the feelings power and calm it instilled in him. Or perhaps he was stalling, his mind still desperately trying to process something he knew he had no hope of understanding.

Clear as if he was seeing it all over again, the Mudhorn hovered before him in his mind’s eye, held aloft by a tiny green hand. His own hands tightened on the controls as he fought the urge to look back at his tiny target again. 

This was bigger than him, bigger than anything he had ever agreed too. 

He should just forget it. Wipe the entire experience from his memory and deliver the asset like he was being paid to do.

Or he could take the easy route and just shoot it. He had stopped the droid, but should he have? The pay was only halved if it was dead.

With a small thought, the Mandalorian tried to slide his hand to the holster of his pistol but failed the motion before he had even really begun.

No, he had stopped IG-11 because he couldn’t bear to kill the small creature, what had changed that would possibly let him finish it now? A lot actually, but not enough to pull the trigger.

The Mandalorian bowed his helm slightly as the vast openness of space filled his viewport, the pull of his injuries grounding him. 

But what would he do now? What he had seen, what that tiny creature had done, that had to change the deal. Did the buyer know? They had sent several bounty hunters already and likely would send more now that he hadn’t reported back yet. They had to see the creature was valuable, but how much did they actually know?

He had stopped the little thing’s death already, but would he sentence it to the same fate if he returned to the client? Could he still do that?

A snarl tore from his lips, the voice changer in his helmet twisting the helpless frustration into something angrier, and he heard a soft cooing sound in response.

Startled, he straightened and turned to meet the large dark eyes staring at him from within the capsule. The little creature made a soft churring upon noticing his attention and tilted its head. Those eyes were far too innocent for a being said to be over fifty years old, but yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that they also held understanding far beyond their years. The Mandalorian broke eye contact, unsettled by something he had seen in those depths. 

The sound of shifting clothes drew his gaze again, and he found the little thing trying to stand, impossibly small hands gripping the edges of the capsule as it attempted to untangle itself from the blankets. 

Without much thought, he reached out and lift the small form from the capsule and brought it to his lap, keeping a firm hold as the little thing found its balance and stared up at him. 

They stayed like that for a long minute before the youngling gurgled a soft sound and leaned forward, large eyes sliding closed as it snuggled fearlessly against the armor of his chest and appeared to drift off. The Mandalorian was frozen for several minutes as the tiny green form utterly relaxed in his hold before finally, he felt his shoulders sag in defeat. 

This was not a decision he would be able to make lightly, he needed time to think. With small movements as to not disturb his sleeping passenger, the Mandalorian shifted forward and punched in a series of random coordinates in a direction that would take him away from the planet and set the ship to autopilot. With that done, he leaned back, his hand coming up to cradle the small back, and set his eyes on the stars as he began to consider what he would do now. 

By the time the bundled form began to stir, he was no closer to his answer. He directed his visor down towards the small face just as it yawned widely and blinked awake. The two stared at each other for several moments, the Mandalorian still lost in thought and the tiny creature watching him calmly. The stillness of the moment was broken, however, at the sound of a small stomach grumbling its emptiness. 

It took him longer than it should have to identify the noise for what it was, and when he did, he was at even more of a loss. He was not equipped to care for a child, he didn’t even know if it was a child! His mind helpfully pulled up the image of the little creature effortlessly swallowing an entire amphibian. He could only hope that it didn’t exclusively eat small animals.

He would have to make do for now it seemed. 

With that thought in mind, he carefully stood and made to place the thing back into its capsule, but was stopped short by the fact that the little creature has wrapped its tiny hands around the cloth bits of his armor and was clinging with concerning strength. Cautiously the Mandalorian moved again to place it in the padded sphere, but this time the thing made a whining sound of protest and curled tighter to his front.

Another small tug confirmed that the thing was firmly attached to him, and fearing he hurt it by trying to pry it off, the bounty hunter resigned himself to this new situation and began to make his way back into the ship. 

Climbing down the ladder proved slightly more awkward than average, but he soon found himself standing in the small space that served as his personal living quarters. Placing his arm firmly around the back of the small form, he stooped to open a storage unit. Inside was all of the meager rations he had stocked for this trip. 

Half-heartedly he shuffled around a few items, but he already knew that there was nothing here that he would feel comfortable feeding the little guy. With a soft grunt of pain, the Mandalorian straightened and glanced down at the curious eyes watching him.

“This would be far easier if you could speak, so I knew what you could eat without being poisoned.” 

_“Chirr coo.”_

Shaking his helm slightly, he made his way back to the cockpit and carefully lowered himself into the pilot’s seat. He would need to find somewhere discreet to land, a small traders settlement, or out of the way port where he could get supplies and lay low while he treated his wounds and figured out a plan. 

Pulling up his navigation systems, he began to scroll through the list of nearby planets and moons. Focused on his task, he didn’t notice the small green hand reaching for the gash on his arm until tiny blunt claws brushed it just as a warm sensation flooded the area. 

Startled by the sudden sensation, the Mandalorian flinched harshly, causing the small creature to squeak in surprise, but it didn’t remove its hand from his arm. Upon realizing that it had been the cause of the strange feeling he almost put it back in its capsule right then and there, but then he remembered the countless times the little thing had tried on the planet to touch that same spot. 

After a while, curiosity got the better of him, and he forced himself to relax, keeping his visor pointed at the viewport, but slightly tilted so he could see what the little creature was doing. 

After a long few moments, the small green hand reached out again, carefully coming to hover just above the injury once more, though this time it seemed to take care to not actually touch. As he watched in silence, deep brown eyes slid closed, and delicate features furrowed in concentration as the same warm sensation flooded his arm. The Mandalorian watched with rapt attention as at first nothing seemed to happen, but then the warmth became a dull ache, and then a sharp stinging sensation as to his utter disbelief, the skin of the cut began to pull together. 

He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The pain was fading as the wound shrank before his very eyes, and he felt something tugging deep in his chest. A few seconds later and the area was merely an angry red where before an open cut sat. The tiny form slumped slightly as tired eyes blinked slowly open to look up into the dark visor. 

As he watched, the thing seemed to snuggle down into his chest again and drift off. A moment later, that same feeling in his chest came back, and suddenly it was nearly impossible to keep his eyes open. Alarmed, he tried to stand, but his body wouldn’t respond right, everything seeming to take twice the effort and his mind was becoming foggy. 

A dull panic tried to rise in him, but it was brought to a halt as a small hand rested on the bottom of his mask. Blurrily, he glanced down into sleepy dark eyes as the hand gave a single, soft pat on the metal near his mouth, and he felt his eyes slide shut, and he knew no more.


	2. Orin Cal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Mandalorian begins to figure out what is next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are blowing me away with the response to this story! I am forever humbled by your kind words and kudos! Enjoy!

The soft pinging of his navigation system is what finally roused the Mandalorian, and it took him an alarmingly long few moments to remember exactly what had happened. The child! The child had it done something to him? Even without moving, he could feel the warm patch on his chest plates. 

His first instinct told him to dislodge the smaller being, something was wrong with it, and if the child could put him under that effortlessly, he would have to be far more cautious. But he hesitated. This tiny creature was powerful. It had remained amicable towards him so far, but what would happen if he were to lose that favor? 

Apprehension slunk down his spine as he carefully tilted his visor down enough to look at the peacefully sleeping face. It seemed so small, but now he knew what it was capable of, he wouldn't be fooled. 

Moving slowly as to not wake the sleeping child, the Mandalorian carefully rose from the pilot seat, sparing a glance at the blinking navigations screen, before gradually making his way over to the capsule. A few stilted movements later, and the small bundle had been returned to its makeshift cradle.   
After that, the Mandalorian wasted no time fleeing from the cockpit and making his way into the central space of the ship, where he began to pace in tight circles. 

Things were spiraling out of his control, and he seemed unable to regain it ever since opening that white pod. He paced three more circuits where his thoughts continued to spiral before finally, he forced himself to still. Several deep breaths allowed him the clarity to compose his mind and force his shoulders to sink. 

He needed a plan because as long as he sat here panicking, there could be someone else tracking them. 

First and foremost, he needed supplies. He was short on credits, but if he spent them right, he could leave a decent port with everything he would need until he had a more permanent solution. He would also need information on the child, the bounty, the guild, especially the guild. The guild would have to wait till he was secure, and even then, he would need to make a decision on how to proceed before he could contact them again.

Supplies. He needed a heavily trafficked port where his movements would be harder to track, but remote enough that it would take any other pursuers long enough to reach that he could be gone by then. Pacing at a more leisurely pace now, he began to run through all the ports he knew well or had visited on a job before. The list was expansive, but soon he made his decision. Orin Cal, it was smaller than he would have liked, but the lack of subtlety was balanced by his familiarity with the location. With his new destination in mind, the Mandalorian returned to the cockpit, studiously ignoring the pod still hovering nearby. 

A quick sweep let him know that no ships were nearby, much to his relief, and he quickly plugged in the familiar coordinates before sending his ship into the lightspeed jump. 

An hour later, found the _Razorcrest_ carefully nestled on the outer edges of the port and the Mandalorian entering the bustling market of Orin Cal, the resealed pod drifty slowly behind him. He received a few curious glances from vendors and customers alike, but he paid them no mind as he made his way towards the center. Soon a familiar sign caught his eye, The Drexls' Den. 

Pushing through the heavy doors, he was met with the heavy smell of spices and a rolling wave of heat. The few patrons inside glanced up at the sound of his entrance, but only the large Gotal woman behind the counter didn't look away. Instead, she stared at him with a smirk and reached for a cup. 

The Mandalorian made his way to the bar, his lips quirking at the thick tea that was waiting for him as he sat. 

"So the mighty guild hunter finally remembers his roots, eh? Finally, gonna grace old Ralka with your presence once more. Did professional life not suit you anymore?"

"You know it was the best choice for me, high risk, guaranteed reward."

"Fair fair, but yet you are here. Why?"

The Mandalorian watched her for a moment, taking in the familiar features, but he could see the cation in her eyes at his presence after all this time. A subtle title of his visor in the direction of the sealed capsule drew her attention before she nodded once. 

A young Cathar stepped up from the side of the bar and took Ralka's place as the Mandalorian rose to follow her around the counter and through several heavy curtains into the back of the bar. Two more locked doors and large empty standard rooms later, and he found himself in a familiar space. 

The walls were bare except for a few tapestries, and a single table sat in the center of the room. Wordlessly Ralka took her place on the opposite side as he sank onto the seat closest to him. 

"It's been some time since you have taken a contract from here, why do I feel that this will be a more frequent occurrence soon."

"Because that very well be."

The elder Gotal pursed her lips at that but simply nodded for him to continue. The Mandalorian couldn't stop the deja-vu that washed over him at that simple action, so similar to the first time he came to her for a bounty contract all those many years ago, long before the guild. Taking a careful breath, he decided to simply share it all, confidentiality was a luxury he couldn't afford, and he knew he could trust her.

"I took a contract from a high-end client, off the books, extremely high pay with only a locator fob. The client wanted a hunt and retrieve, full pay for alive, half for dead. I located the asset, but was met by another clan hunter." 

"Not even the clan would be stupid enough to send more than one on a hunt, you would all kill each other."

"In some cases, yes, I was lucky that it was a droid that met me. We agreed to split the reward, but something was wrong. The client told me alive or dead, but alive was the preferred method. IG-11 came to kill it. We had cleared the area and were alone with the target, but he went to take the shot."

The Mandalorian looked slightly to the side where the pod was still floating gently. 

"I shot him before he could pull the trigger."

"You did what!"

The Mandalorian glanced back at Ralka's sharp tone. 

"You absolute fool! Killing another bounty hunter out here is already bad enough, but to kill a clan hunter? You'll be blacklisted!"

"No, I have never worked with him before, but I know IG's kind. At several points during the fighting he claimed he was going to self destruct, I only killed his avatar. Paranoid as he is, he definitely has memory core backups. He's probably already back out on the hunt and trying to track me."

The Gotal gave a huff of annoyance but nodded in agreement.

"Fine, so you didn't kill him, that doesn't mean you aren't walking a thin line right now."

The Mandalorian gave a loud sigh.

"I'm afraid I tipped to one side just after that. IG said he had claimed the bounty on official channels, something I wasn't able to do with the client that approached me. After I retrieved the asset, I was attacked a second time by a smaller group of other bounty hunters, they were all guild. I killed them in self-defense. This bounty is turning into a free-for-all, guild rules be damned, they can't be trusted anymore."

"So, you come to me."

"I know I can trust your system and your information."

"You're wise to do so. So I am assuming that is your celebrity asset?"

Her furry head nodded towards the smooth pod, and with a gesture, he brought it to float between them on the low table. Another short command and the smooth white surface split apart and slowly retracted, allowing a small green head to peer over the edge.

"A child?"

Large brown eyes peered up at the new face before looking back to stare at the Mandalorian in equal interest.

"Supposedly, it's over fifty years old. It doesn't change the fact that several people are searching for it and or want it dead."

"So why haven't you turned it in? You are only making yourself a target for as long as it remains in your possession."

Mud slick on his armor, the hot stale breath of the beast and the thunder of its approach, knuckles gripping tight around a knife that would not save him. 

The sight of the beast flailing in the air, a tiny green hand trembling as it reached out.

"There is something else, but first I need to know if you know anything about it, race, the planet of origin, anything."

Ralka must have heard the slightly guarded note of his tone, for she simply hummed in contemplation and brought her massive paw-like hand up to tip the pod towards her, drawing its occupant's curious attention once more.

"I don't know either of those things, and I will warn you now that I don't think anyone else does either. I've only seen depictions and heard rumors of two others who look like this."

She looked him in the visor, her gaze stern. 

"Both were Jedi Masters in the days of the Clone Wars, and both have been dead a very long time."

The Mandalorian felt a chill sweep over his skin. So he was right, that had been the work of the force with that Mud Horn. 

Ralka was watching him closely, and her eyes narrowed as he tensed. 

"What was that other thing now, it must be rather significant if you would put yourself at risk over it." 

The Mandalorian hesitated again, after all this information was precious, but also dangerous. But he was out of his depth and still needed help. He nodded and was about to speak again when there was a flurry of shouting from the front.

All three of the room's occupants startled and turned to look at the door behind them as the shouting rose in volume. The sharp report of a blaster had the Mandalorian and Ralka on their feet in an instant, the Golta already stalking past him, fury seething from her form.

The bounty hunter began to follow, but a worried coo from behind him reminded him that he had other priorities. Turning, he quickly made his way back to the pod and stared down at the little green child. He thought to leave it there in its safe white pod, but it was slow, and the yelling was continuing to rise. 

Without giving himself a chance to hesitate, he lifted the child from the pod and closed the white shell, pushing it to the dark back corner of the room before silently making his way through the passages leading to the front. As he moved, he carefully patted the child's back, hoping that would be enough to keep it quiet for now. He dropped to a low crouch just inside the final door frame and listened. 

"Who do you think you are coming here? This is my establishment, and I will not stand for you simply firing off your blasters as you please!"

The Mandalorian chanced a glance around the edge of the doorway but immediately drew back, his free hand coming to rest on the handle of his gun. Stormtroopers, several in their full armor and armed to the teeth. He had seen the painted symbols across their helmet's cold expressions. Private security, likely for some Outer Ring Warlord. 

"We are here to retrieve a Mandalorian bounty hunter, we were told he was here. Surrender him now."

The Mandalorian's thoughts raced as he dimly heard Ralka shouting something in return. They were here for him, someone had tracked him already. This had to be about the kid, but why? What use would Outer Rim guns for hire have for a guild target? None of this was adding up. Moving slowly he began to back away, the troopers were arguing with several patrons now, he needed to get out. If things escalated, they would only get worse if he stayed and got involved.

A gentle touch on his arm caused him to jerk. A knife appeared in his hand and was pressed to the other's throat before his mind could even begin to process the startled face of the Cathar from before. Immediately he sheathed the knife as the younger creature beckoned him quietly. Nodding, the Mandalorian, moved silently as he followed the other back into the building, taking a new path into a storage room. Once they reached it, the Cathar closed the door and began to rush around the room, grabbing a large bag and stuffing items inside. 

"Ralka will stall things as long as she can, but we do not want violence to break out. If they make true on their threats, she will let them in, and you must be gone."

Food, clothes, credits and several other supplies were dumped into the bag with practiced efficiency as the Mandalorian, having done this many times in his contract days, made his way to a cabinet to the side and began to pull out boxes of ammunition for his rifle and several small grenades and charges. Ralka was good, and every hunter who left, left with the means to survive, including enough necessary supplies to last to another safer port in case of this very situation.

The Cathar hefted the bag, and the bounty hunter swept the ammo inside before taking it from the other. He quickly slung it over his shoulder, followed by his rifle. The child still held in his other arm was beginning to make questioning sounds at all the jostling, but otherwise chose to simply watch quietly as always. 

"Go through the back door and take the speeder there, leave it at the edge of the town. Here are the new comm-codes, Ralka said you may be contracting for us again."

The Mandalorian nodded his thanks and accepted the small data chip before pushing through the back door. The door let out into a small space behind the building where a speeder waited just as they said.

The engine whined sharply as he pulled away from the building and burst into the street, maneuvering easily through the back alleys until he could see the edge of the port. It seems it had not been left open, however, as he immediately brought the small craft to a sliding halt at the sight of painted white armor.

Carefully, he began to reverse, already running through several alternative routes out of the city, when there was a shout from one of the troopers. Before he could do anything, every trooper in the area had trained their blasters on the speeder. 

"Mandalorian, you have stolen property. Lay down your weapons and return the package to us. Any signs of resistance, and we will take it by force."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? Concerns? Theories? Opinions?
> 
> Little longer this time, I will write the next chapter as soon as a I get another hour or so of downtime. 
> 
> Side note do you guys want me to reply to comments or...? I will try my best if so, I really do enjoy chatting with you guys down there and I am always open to requests, critiques and suggestions for what you want to see from the story!


	3. Under Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mando deals with the Stormtroopers and realizes something else might be going on behind the scenes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are seriously the best! I love reading all your comments and am completely humbled by every kudos! Thank you so much!

Five visible on the ground ahead of him, likely at least two on overwatch. Internal comms, already called in back up? They knew what he was, would that warrant caution? If it did, then he was under a time limit now. 

The child cooed at him softly, alerting him to the fact he had unconsciously tightened his hold, and he loosened it quickly with a soft grunt of apology. Movement out of the corner of his visor, something glinting on the nearby roof. One of the other guards.

"You have stolen property. Lay down your weapons now. Continued failure to comply will result in deadly force."

No other way.

"Alright! I'm laying down my weapons."

Carefully he rose from the seat of the speeder, projecting his movements as he gently laid the small bundle down in the passenger seat and unclasped his rifle, placing it on the back of the speeder, followed by his pistol. 

"Step out of the vehicle with your hands raised."

Mando slowly complied, keeping his gloved hands raised and visible as he slipped over the edge of the speeder and moved to stand facing the troopers as they began to move forward, blasters still raised. 

"Kneel and put your hands behind your head. You are under arrest!"

"By who? The Empire is no more, who holds your leash?"

Another trooper was approaching him from behind, he could hear the clatter of its armor, and sure enough a moment later a hard plasteel boot kicked into the backs of his knees. He allowed himself to fall easily but kept his visor locked on the trooper in the lead ahead of him.

"That is not your concern, bounty hunter. You broke your contract."

"I have broken no contract. I needed supplies to make the trip back to the Guild." 

The trooper did not reply, instead only raising his fingers to the side of his helmet, a sure sign of an internal communication. A second trooper was approaching the speeder, and the Mandalorian could hear the confused and frightened sounds of the child begin to rise as the white armored soldier came to stand next to the side. 

He supposed he had gained enough information. 

A slow, steadying breath was the only preparation he gave before he was in motion, hand grasping the knife in his boot and jamming it through the inner thigh joint of the trooper to his right as his left hand pushed up, shoving the barrel of the other stormtrooper's blaster skyward as it fired. 

The one on his right crumpled with a cry, and he quickly stabbed him in the seam beneath the back of his helmet as he curled forward already grabbing and pulling the dropped blaster to him to shoot the trooper who had hung back ahead of him, tipping himself sideways into the remaining man on his left. 

He needed to move fast. Rolling back into a crouch, the Mandalorian quickly shot the stormtrooper he had knocked over, diving into a roll behind the speeder as the other two from the gate began to fire at him, having taken cover behind some crates. 

The sharp retort of a rifle caught his attention just as a bolt scorched the speeders hull mere inches from where he crouched. The overwatch.

He needed his rifle, needed to get rid of the one on the roof before they got a lucky shot. 

Making a quick decision, he rolled under the still hovering speeder and reached for a pouch on his belt. Blaster fire pinged off the metal of the front of the speeder as gloved fingers quickly wrapped around a small, round explosive. Pulling it out, he rolled slightly onto his left side and in a smooth motion, flicked his wrist forward, sending the little ball, now primed, skittering across the ground in the direction of the hidden troopers.

The detonator went off earlier than he would have liked, but the effect was the same. The crates went up in a fiery burst, and he heard twin cries of pain as the troopers were also caught in the blast, the shrapnel of the containers finishing what the explosion could not. 

Using the cover of the explosion, Mando rolled out the side of the speeder and grabbed the nearest body, hoisting it onto his back just as he felt the impact of a bullet hit what was a moment ago his exposed backplates. 

Using his new shield, he stood in a sharp motion and retrieved his rifle before crouching again as another rifle bullet bit into the soil slightly behind him.

The piercing cries of the child caused him to tense, but he knew they weren't stupid enough to shoot near enough to it for the little thing to be in any real danger. Regardless, every cry caused him to wince, guilty at the stress he was causing the tiny creature. 

With the ease of years, he slipped a vaporizing round from his bandoleer and into the chamber, cocking the rifle before bracing it on his shoulder. Another shot and he mentally retraced the angle of the impact. The same spot as earlier, it seems the other was either cock or inexperienced and hadn't moved position once he had been revealed. 

A count to ten under his breath and another shot spit gravel over his boots. Mando shoved to his feet, tossing aside the corpse on his back, rifle swinging into position. A second later and the round left the barrel with a sharp whine. Above, he watched in grim satisfaction as the trooper exploded into ashes, a piece of white armor clattering to the rooftop. 

It was over, but he wasn't naive enough to think he was safe. 

Slinging the rifle over his shoulder, the Mandalorian retrieved his pistol and vaulted back into the speeder. Beside him, the child had visible tear tracks on his tiny green face, hands grasping out for the armored man with soft terrified whimpers. 

He needed to get them back to the Razor Crest.

His gloved hand reached back over to the other, allowing the young creature to grip it tightly to his chest and curl around it. With his free hand, Mando threw the speeder back into gear, sending the craft through the gates with a clattering of metal. 

Not five minutes later found the pair entering the clearing where the Razor Crest was parked. A series of commands on his gauntlet controller had the ramp lower as the engines whined in prep. 

Mando quickly got out and began to grab the bags of supplies, managing to hoist all of them onto his shoulders before going around the other side, and picking up the kid. He had just reached the bottom of the ramp when the first tremor reached him. 

Stumbling slightly, he froze and strained his ears. Nothing, nothing...there! The telltale clanking of large machinery and only one thing in the galaxy sounded like that, and he had hoped to never encounter another one. 

Another tremor as he sprinted up the ramp, dumping the bags into the central area of the ship before scaling the ladder. He deposited the kid into the passenger seat and dropped into the pilot's chair, fingers flying over the switches to finish a quick prep. From his new height in the Razor Crest's cockpit, he could just see the top off the walker in the distance, approaching slowly, but steadily to their location. 

The engines gave a sharp whine at the harsh start-up, but he didn't have time to waste on running the routine checks and warming them up. Even now, he risked being in the firing range of the AT-ST during lift-off. 

Slamming the throttle forward Mando's entire form tensed as the Razor Crest slowly rose into the air, the tops of the front gunners roosts visible on the walker now. 

He was pushing the old ship hard, but she had never failed him before. Just as the walker came into range, her thrusters opened up and in a smooth motion, jettisoned them skywards, slipping through the atmosphere with silky ease. 

It took him a short while of just watching the dark expanse of space in the windscreen before he could fully un-tense and acknowledge that they had slipped out of dangers grasp for the time being. The sniffling of the child drew his attention, and with a slight hesitation, he awkwardly reached over and picked up the child. Not sure how to proceed, he brought the child to his chest plates, a similar hold to how his mother used to hold him when he was a boy, rubbing his thumb against the small head. 

It seemed to work well enough as the small green form slowly relaxed against him, large eyes drifting closed and stilted breaths eventually evening out in sleep. Mando remained still for a little while longer to ensure the child had indeed fallen asleep before he switched the Razor Crest over to autopilot and rose from the pilot's seat.

Making his way towards the back of the upper level, he made his way to the small room he called his own. The bed was covered in many quilts and furs from outposts he'd visited over the years. They did well to keep out the chill of space and soften the rather hard mattress he had meant to replace should he find himself with any spare credits. 

As it was, it turned out that rearranging them just right made for a perfect nest of sorts, and he carefully laid the small bundle in the center before pulling a thick fur over the top and leaving the room. Musing, he wandered back over to the ladder and slid down, spending the next few minutes hoisting the bags up to the second level and into the small kitchen turned storage area. 

Taking a seat on the floor, he began to pull items from the bags, sorting them into small piles to be organized away into various storage spaces around the ship. As he sorted through the rather impressive amount of supplies, his thoughts looped back to his current situation.

The troopers had tried to arrest him. On terms of a broken contract? But he'd done nothing to indicate that he was breaking the contract, or that he was fleeing with the asset. So why? There had been no established time-frame in which to complete the bounty, and he had certainly done nothing to provoke retaliation.

The Mandalorian froze as something occurred to him.

Surely killing that IG droid hadn't started all this? 

He had been Guild, but that would have been an internal conflict, not anything that the client would be privy to unless something else had gone wrong.

The chirp of an incoming communication stopped him from thinking on the matter any further, and his surprise only increased when he recognized the comm signature of Greef Carga. Putting aside the bag, he activated his helmet's communicator. 

"Mando, you goddamn bastard, you have thirty seconds to explain what the hell is going on!"


	4. Desperate Flight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Mandalorian speaks to the client again and realizations come to light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are astounding me with your support and love of this story! Thank you all so much, every time you leave a comment or kudos my writers block clears a little more and I am reinvigorated to write!
> 
> Sorry for the wait on this one, but I should be able to update more regularly for a little while!
> 
> Enjoy!

_Putting aside the bag, he activated his helmet's communicator._

_"Mando, you goddamn bastard, you have thirty seconds to explain what the hell is going on!"_

\-----------

The Mandalorian was too surprised to react at first, but once the other's words sank in indigent rage welled up.

"What, your little imperials failed, so now you're playing innocent?"

"Imperials? Wha- what the hell are you talking about? I've got your client and those same imperials knocking on my door, asking me how I'm going to deal with the fact that you've run off with their asset. They want me to make a puck for you! You better have a damn good explanation for what is going on here!"

They were claiming he's fled and broken the contract. They wanted to set a bounty on him.

"I took a detour to resupply, I never indicated I was breaking the contract."

"These are heavy claims, Mando you must have done something to frip them off."

"I've done nothing! I have broken no part of the contract!"

Carga was silent on the other end for a moment before there was a long frustrated sigh.

"I trust you, Mando, you're a good hunter, but these claims are not to be taken lightly, especially if they are false. Now without a puck, I'm hard-pressed to dispute this claim. It's your word against theirs, so please tell me you have the asset and en route. If you still deliver, there is a chance we can get this all sorted out."

The Mandalorian gave a low hiss. This is why there were pucks, this is why in-person contacts and word of mouth dealings were fazed out. Without a written and agreed contract, there was nothing to keep the client from changing the rules.

"Mando, where are you? We need to get this figured out, Galio has been looking to hire you specifically again, and you can't do so until this is dealt with."

As soon as he heard those words, Mando's blood turned to ice. Galio was a code phrase. Carga was speaking under threat, the Guild had been compromised.

Thinking fast, the hunter pushed to his feet and began moving quickly towards the cockpit, forcing his voice to remain steady on his mic.

"I ran into a little trouble while refueling, but I'm back on track now. I should be arriving by tomorrow at the latest."

Silence met his reply, no doubt, whoever was listening was feeding Carga lines as Mando began to punch in coordinates. He needs to get out of this sector, the disruption he caused in Orin Cal had surely reached them, and he was too close.

He needed to disappear.

"Look, Mando. Usually, that would be fine, but this is serious. They have contacts all over the galaxy, maybe you can meet with one of them and save yourself the trip, they said if you delivered the asset to one of their contacts you would still get the full pay of beskar. I know you're smart, don't take this opportunity they are giving you for granted."

Carga would never suggest a remote meet like this, and even if he did, he knew the Mandalorian would never accept it. So why…"

The realization hit him hard just as his nav computer pinged a proximity alert. One, two, three, multiple signals coming out of hyperspace. He was a fool! They had been tracking his signal! Such a rookie mistake, and Carga had been trying to warn him the entire call!

Cursing violently in Mando'a he pushed off the console and ran to where the child was still stored. The kid made a sound of startled confusion as the Mandalorian snatched him from his blanket nest and ran back to the cockpit, placing him quickly into the passenger seat and buckling him in as Carga began to talk again, demanding an answer.

"Mando, dammit, answer me! Agree to a rendezvous, and we can all put this behind us."

The Mandalorian slammed into the pilot's seat just as three Tie fighters skimmed low over the Crest, and he frantically began to prep his weapons systems. A flashing light signaled an incoming comm transmission. Stilling, he slowly reached out and accept the call.

"Guild vessel _Razor Crest_, you are to power down all weapons and deflector shields and prepare to be escorted to a rendezvous location. Failure to comply will result in hostile force."

"Mando!"

"Tell your client's dogs to pull off."

"What? The hell are you talking about-"

"The squadron of fighters circling me, tell them to pull off, or I will be forced to defend myself."

"Guild vessel _Razor Crest_, power down your weapons systems now, or you will be fired upon!"

Mando rested his hands on the controls, his entire body tensed. He could hear Carga arguing with someone on the other side of the comm. The fighters outside buzzed him again before looping to face him, several more held formation matching his speed a few klicks out on either side.

"This is the final warning, power down and follow the transmitted flight pattern, or we will use deadly force."

"Carga."

The Mandalorian heard the other end of the comm fall silent as he leaned forward into the controls, his left hand flipping several switches with slow, methodical ease.

"Mando-"

"I have the asset on board. The squadron of fighters is threatening to fire upon me if I do not comply. But I don't think they will."

Several more buttons were pushed carefully as the Mandalorian eyed the fighters insight from his viewport.

"I know you are listening. You told me you needed the asset dead or alive if I remember the terms of the original contract correctly."

There was a harsh moment of silence, nothing moved, even the Tie outside, then the voice of Client rang out of the speakers in his helmet.

"That is correct."

"I see, however, it seems the terms of the contact have been altered since our meeting, if your presence is any indication. Therefore, I can only assume the terms surrounding the asset have also become altered."

He could feel the hesitation on the other end, nearly palpable, and it caused a slightly feral grin to stretch across the Mandalorian's face.

"No, the condition of the asset is to remain the same, dead or alive upon delivery."

"In that case, I believe we are at an impasse, after all dead or alive doesn't matter much if my ship is destroyed and the body with it, or…"

He carefully slipped a single vaporizing round from his bandoleer and allowed the noise of it being loaded into the chamber of his rifle to be heard over the open mic.

"I shoot the asset and vaporize the body before any of your men can stop me."

"You wouldn't dare!"

"You seem rather confident."

Another angry silence met his challenge as he continued to quietly prep his ship for combat. This was stalling, but there was no outcome he could see that didn't end in a shootout. He held too much power in this situation for them to let him go, but would they risk the kid? There was a strong chance they had already accepted that they stood no chance of reclaiming it and would seek to clean up any loose ends.

The more the silence stretched, the more he feared the later. Another argument broke out on the other end of the comm, and the Mandalorian quickly finished his preps, this was it. More shouting then Carga's voice shouted clearly.

"Mando!"

The comm line cut off as several lock alerts triggered. Slamming the throttle forward, the Mandalorian sent the Crest into a sharp dive. Barely missing the volley of laser fire from the Tie that had set up a steady trailing distance behind him. Pulling up into a tight spin, he pushed the old ship to turn into a tight arc, just managing to get behind one of the Tie long enough to send a burst of return fire. Most of the shots went wide of the left-wing, but several lucky hits knocked out the stabilizer on the smaller craft sending it into a crazed spiral.

The maneuver had cost him, however, as laser fire scored his left engine, ripping off some of the platings and causing the ship to buck hard beneath his hands. The Crest was built as a drop-ship during the Clone Wars, even as modified as he had managed to make it over the years it would never be a match for the small, maneuverable fighters. Maybe if it was only two or three, but against this many, it was only a matter of time before one got a lucky shot.

With this thought clear in his mind, he began the sequence to open up the thrusters in a full burn. Another strafing run scored more damage across the top of the hull, and alerts began to flash. The child started to make worried noises behind him, giant ears pressed low to his skull as wide eyes flashed with the red of the warning lights.

"Hold on, kid."

Mando muttered as he swung the bow wide to turn the Crest around, guns firing wildly to clear a path. As the viewport leveled out, he rapidly flicked three trigger switches before tugging back on the throttle. Immediately the G-force slammed him back into his seat as the thrusters flared wide, engines burning hard to launch the Crest forward in a sharp push of fuel and flame.

The entire ship rattled violently under the strain of the speed he was forcing on her, and blaster fire continued to pepper the rear shields, but the fighters dared not get any closer for fear of being caught in the backdraft of the larger ship.

The pressure was causing his chest to ache, and his vision to fuzz slightly as breathing became a chore, but he kept the thrusters open. This was his only shot of putting enough distance to try to make a lightspeed jump. Turning his head slowly, he looked back to the passenger seat, praying that the smaller creature was holding up. He could last, but the tiny body may be suffering under the pressure, and if he accidentally killed the child, this would all be for nothing.

He finally got his visor around enough to see the other, and what little air was left in his struggling lungs left him in a sharp gasp.

The child sat utterly still, eyes closed and arms out on either side of him, but his clothing, ears, even the seat around him seemed to be completely unaffected by the G-force pinning Mando himself.

He must have made some noise because those soulful eyes opened and blinked at him slowly, small head tilting effortlessly to regard him before eyes slipped closed again, and one of those small hands instead stretched towards him. Green brows scrunched together in what looked like concentration, and as the Mandalorian watched in utter confusion, he suddenly found breathing easier.

Shocked, he tilted his head back to stare at the readouts, and even that movement, though still hard, was nowhere near as arduous as it had been moments before. The readouts still registered a full burn, but it was as if a weight had been lifted from his chest. Was this… it had to be. The child was using the force to protect them.

His mind spun fruitlessly around that thought for a long few moments before he ruthlessly shoved it away as a moaning shriek of tearing metal alerted him to the loss of one of the left side panels moments before the piece tore off, sending another cascade of errors across his systems. The Crest had reached her limit.

Checking the nav systems, he saw that the Tie had fallen behind, their lighter frames unable to pull this taxing of a maneuver, but they hadn't broken off completely. Once he stopped, it would be no time at all before they caught up, but he wouldn't squander those precious few minutes.

Slowly he moved his hand to the throttle, counting down in his head.

The numbers on the nav finally hit his destination, and with a short yell of exertion, he pushed the throttle forward again, snapping the flaps closed and cutting the burn with a harsh lurch. The G-force released him abruptly, causing him to gasp in a few easy breaths, and he heard the kid coo softly as his hands immediately returned to the controls.

If this didn't work, they were as good as dead.

The _Razor Crest_ groaned like the ancient beast it was as its bow was once more swung around to face her attackers. Plugging in final coordinates, the Mandalorian looked up just as the Tie came back into firing range. Sickly green laser bolts spattered against the failing forward shields as the nav computer spun to life. He waited a few more precious seconds as the fighters bore down on him. His targeting system beeped a lock on the lead fighter and Mando grinned.

And pushed the hyperspace throttle down.

In a blink, the Crest shot forward, tearing through the Tie in her path as she threw herself into the lightspeed stream. Warning lights immediately returned as the strain rattle the ship to her very frame, and the Mandalorian wasted no time in setting a short jump location, pulling the Crest out of the stream, not a few minutes later.

They hadn't made it far, but he had to hope that it was enough for now. As it was, the power in the cabin flickered dangerously as alerts about failing engines and systems sprang up before his eyes.

He had pushed her too far.

The child was squeaking at him, but he ignored the other's distress in favor of desperately checking through the nearby planets. The ship was heavily damaged, and he knew they would die if they went dark up here in the open, but he managed to give her a last bit of thrust to angle them towards a small planet below them. They would crash, there was nothing he could do to stop that, but he could at least make sure they stood a chance of surviving.

Another groan from the _Razor Crest_ and the cabin lights shut off completely before emergency lights lit the small space in a harsh red haze. The nose of the ship tipped downwards, and within moments they were pushing through the planet's atmosphere pulled along by its gravity. Fire surrounded the viewport, and the ship shuddered with renewed force.

The child was screaming now, it's distress infectious as the Mandalorian maintained a death grip on the controls, pulling back with everything he had to try to bring the nose of the ship up, anything to lessen the steepness of their decent.

The viewport filled with treetops and snow as the ship careened downwards, the nose tilting upwards ever so slightly.

The screaming of the child filled his ears as the world was obscured by snapping branches and snow until the port cleared enough for him to see the ground for a split moment. He had just enough time to brace himself before the Crest impacted in an explosion of snow, snapping his helmet forward into the console, and he knew no more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always let me know what you think! I love working on this story and am excited for where this will take us!


	5. In the Cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Mandalorian wakes up and takes stock of his rather dire situation.
> 
> (Reposted to fix continuity errors I just noticed)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for leaving you guys in a cliff hanger last tie and for so long! College is brutal, but I'm trying to give myself some more off time to write and relax. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has shown for this fic! I am humbled by every kudos and view. I read every single comment and it brings a smile to my face and keeps me going!
> 
> **Sorry for the false update I realized I had a huge continuity error in this chapter and reposted**

Awareness comes to him in waves, a slow ebbing of pain and cold and wrongness. Something is slowly sliding down his cheek, leaving behind a cool trail. Something is making sharp sounding squeaks nearby, causing him to wince. The noise hurts his head and all he wants to do is sleep. 

Another shrill noise, this one closer and suddenly something pulls and pain lances through his torso, causing him to jerk nearly upright before more pain stops him firmly. Eyes unconsciously clenched slowly open, though they closed once more at the bright white that meets them. 

A tight controlled breath and he opens them again slower this time. It's still too bright, but he can make out a little more this time. It still takes another long stretch of contemplation before he realizes the brightness is in fact snow. 

Snow? 

Something is moving in the corner of his blurred vision and he tenses and grabs for the pistol no longer at his side in a slight panic before recognizing the brown and green blur for the child. As it is the movement reminds him of what woke him in the first place. 

Sharp caustic pain burns like fire on his left side and without even looking he knows its bad. Moving slower this time, he tips his head to the left and down as far as he can without raising his shoulders. His vision is still too blurry to make out any real detail, but the darkening snow around his side is telling enough. 

Allowing his head to thump back to the ground he begins a breathing exercise he had learned during his training. It couldn’t make the pain go away, but it certainly would help him think a little more rationally. As he worked through the pain he mentally checked himself over. 

A concussion was almost certain given the way his very skull seemed to throb within the careful padding of his helmet, and he suspected that on top of his very serious side wound he had broken or fractured several ribs and something near his left shoulder. He was also likely to have quite a large amount of bruising judging by the deep aching. 

Soft noises of concern drew his attention back to the side where the kid stood, and even with his blurred vision he could see the form shaking. Dammit, that old wrapping he was in definitely wasn’t made for snow, the kid was going to catch a cold at this rate. Well, if the little thing could even get sick from cold.

He realized he had lost focus again and winced, he was more out of it then he would like to be, especially on an unknown planet and in unfamiliar territory. He needed to get up, get moving. With that thought in mind he carefully arranged his arms alongside him and slowly, achingly began to lever himself upwards. His shoulder and chest burned like fire at the strain, but he didn’t allow himself to stop until he was seated, hunched forward and out of breath, but upright. 

His new position did wonders for his breathing, but the simple motion had left him exhausted and dizzy. He blinked hard and looked around the best he could, wiping at his dirtied visor in annoyance as he struggled to try to orient himself. 

Nearby, his eyes fell on the hulking frame of the Razor Crest, the great beast of a ship now half buried in snow and debris from the trees it had struck in her descent. Even from here he could tell she had taken the landing hard. She’d been made to withstand a war, but that had been many years ago and he had since modified her for speed over defense, a choice he was regretting as he took in the exterior damage to the hull. 

He would need to repair her, and that would be a nearly impossible task if this planet was uninhabited. Right now all he could hope was that it looked worse than it actually was and he could get her airborne long enough to make it to a port some sort.

As he began trying to judge what he would have to do to get her space ready again he felt a warm pressure wrapping around his fingers and glanced down to meet the eyes of the kid. A small green hand was curled carefully around his own gloved digits and the creature was petting his vembrance with exaggerated care, cooing in concern while staring up at him. 

“I’m alright, looks like we were both pretty lucky this time.”

The kid tilted his head endearingly and made a small chirping sound in response, seemingly cheered by the sound of his voice. Smiling despite himself he carefully curled his fingers around to hold the tiny hand. 

The two sat like that for a moment, the silence calm and comfortable before the Mandalorian tensed his shoulders. He didn’t have time to sit around in the snow. He needed to get back to the ship, figure out where they were, treat his wounds and find the kid something warmer, possibly find somewhere to make repairs or buy the parts. Running over the list again he carefully straightened into a more upright position, everything screaming at him to stop, but he didn’t feel anything new open up which was something. 

The child took a few steps back still making small inquisitive sounds as he braced his left arm on the hard packed snow and began the agonizing process of getting up.

He didn’t know how much time had passed by the time he was standing, but he was on his own two feet and he felt just steady enough to stay that way, for now anyways. Staggering forward a few steps he turned his visor to make sure that the kid could and was still following him before he began the slow walk towards the _Crest_.

Finally he stood under her wing, taking a moment to rest against her bulk for a minute to catch his breath before using his vambrace to key open the side hatch and heave himself up the short distance into the ship. He waited just long enough for the kid to meander in behind him before shutting it and dragging himself up to the cockpit and into the pilot's chair. 

Upon flipping the startup sequence he was more than a little shocked to find the ship coming to life beneath his hands, though the screens were overlaid with a plethora of errors. But the heating systems were not one and soon he could feel the soft brush of warm air from the vents in the cockpit, usually meant to keep the craft warm in the vacuum of space, they did wonders against the chill of the frozen planet outside. 

While he had been checking what systems he could and getting the heat running the child had climbed up into his lap and was carefully patting at his blood soaked chest plate and side again causing the Mandalorian to wince and gently take the tiny hand and move it away. The kid was nothing if not persistent though and as soon as he released the tiny digits they drifted back to the injury. 

With a low growl he went to remove the hand again, but was shocked to hear the child actually growl back at him, insistently laying his hand against the wound again. Perturbed Mando watched those big eyes drift closed and the child scrunched his brow in concentration. All as once there was a sharp pain in his side, but before he could properly react it was overtaken by a rush of heat, not burning or unpleasant, just a steady warmth that spread out from where the child was touching. 

Covered by cloth and armor as it was the warrior couldn’t see the injury, but he didn’t need too as he felt the pain ebb away and the cool relief of newly healed skin took its place. The child had healed him again?

The child pulled his hand back with a small sound of contentment and slumped bonelessly against his chest. Startled and more then a little panicked the Mandalorian quickly brought his hands up to cradle the child against him as the little thing seemed to instantly fall asleep, tiny breaths fogging his cool chestplate. 

What had that been? He knew the kid could heal small cuts and wounds, but this? 

A now familiar wave of exhaustion flooded his very bones and he had to force himself to resist falling asleep right at the helm again. He flexed his arm up slightly and winced. The injury was healed it seemed, but it was still extremely tender and raw feeling. The Mandalorian could only sit and stare at the small slumbering child in his arms for a long while after that as he struggled to come to wrangle his scattered thoughts.

He took a deep breath and slowly allowed the thoughts to slip away. The kid was fine, he was fine, for now. They had far more pressing issues to deal with pertaining to the fact they were stranded until he could at least make the ship space worthy. But he couldn’t do that in the state he was now.

Moving stiffly Mando pushed himself slowly out of the pilot’s seat and staggered back to the small room at the tail of the ship. He carefully laid the child down on the bed before stumbling to his own cabinet of clothing and pulling out several thick blankets and jackets. 

He carefully began to strip out of his armor, laying each piece to the side to be cleaned later and pulled on one of the large, patchwork coats he had picked up several years back. He hesitated for several long minutes as his fingers came to rest on the lip of his helmet, but finally he made up his mind and slid the helmet off as well. The kid was sleeping and even then, he was basically raising the little guy now. He could make more of a decision when he hurt less before the kid woke. 

Using a small bacta wipe he managed to get most of the blood off his face and the side of his head, slapping a fresh patch on to help with the swelling. With that done he grabbed the blankets and made his way back to the bed. 

Gently he managed to wrap the kid in the thickest and make the other into a cradle like roost to lay the now swaddled child within. Then with a low groan the Mandalorian laid down beside the bundle and after cocooning himself in the other quilt, easily drifted off into the comforting warmth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somewhat of an in-between as I get the next chunk of the story planned out. Hope you guys enjoyed! Comments are my life blood and I love hearing from you guys on what you want to see, theories and just your overall opinion on the story!
> 
> Also I'm trying to decide if I want to swap to using his name now that we know it and going back and retcon the earlier chapters to include it, or just keep using Mando.


End file.
